Football
ESPN staff 9y

Luis Garcia scores as Atletico de Kolkata win to remain top of ISL

Former Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia scored the only goal of the game as Atletico de Kolkata defeated NorthEast United FC in the east Indian derby at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday night.

With the hard-fought 1-0 win, Kolkata extended their lead at the summit of the Indian Super League (ISL) to three points. They have 16 points from nine matches. Second-placed Chennaiyin FC, though, have a game in hand.

In the 51st minute, Kolkata skipper and marquee player García headed in a cross from teammate and fellow Spaniard Jofre Gonzalez to send the home crowd of 37,153 to raptures.

The hosts looked the better of the two sides in the first half, which saw a tactical midfield tussle. The influential Garcia kept the Bengal side ticking as he stamped his authority over the game from the central midfield. The main talking point of the first half came when NorthEast goalkeeper TP Rehenesh left his line to collect a long ball. However, Kolkata's Ethiopian striker Fikru Tereffa beat Rehenesh to the ball. The custodian fouled the striker just outside the box and received a caution.

Kolkata stepped up a gear in the second half, which also saw a midfield tussle dominated by the home team thanks to 36-year-old Garcia. In the 51st minute, Fikru won possession in the middle of the pitch and freed Jofre on the left. The Spanish midfielder ran down the wing and sent in an excellent cross, which was met by García bursting into the box, through the centre.

Kolkata were happy to hold on to the lead for the remainder of the game. NorthEast came up with a couple of attacking moves in search for an equaliser but were repelled by the Kolkata defence.

Man-of-the-match Garcia said he is taking it game-by-game and not thinking too far ahead. "Our target is to win our next match," said Garcia, who played a key role in Liverpool's UEFA Champions League win in 2004-05. "Obviously, our main target is to reach the final. But we will try to win our next game first. That will probably take us closer to the points tally we are targeting to win the group stage and reach the semifinal.

"We have been playing good football and creating lots of chances. At the end of the day that is the most important."

ISL leaders Kolkata take on third-placed Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi on Nov. 21. NorthEast will play Delhi Dynamos FC three days later.

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